Field set for Accenture Match Play Championship

**Gilly** · 19th February, 2008, 02:11 AM

The field for next week's 2008 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship is finalized, with all but one of the top-64 players from the Official World Golf Ranking committed to play in the first World Golf Championships event of the year. The top seeds in each bracket for the Accenture Match Play Championship are Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, and Ernie Els -- the players ranked No. 1-4 in the world, respectively. Brett Wetterich (No. 45) withdrew due to a shoulder injury and has been replaced by No. 65 in the World Ranking, FBR Open champion J.B. Holmes.

The top 64 from the World Ranking (released on Monday, February 11) had until 5 p.m. ET today to officially commit to the tournament. Brackets will be released on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. ET, when they become official.

The four brackets at the Accenture Match Play Championship are named in honor of Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Sam Snead. Players in each of the four brackets are seeded No. 1 through No. 16, with the top-ranked golfer playing the No. 16 seed, No. 2 pairing off against No. 15, No. 3 vs. No. 14, and so forth in the first round. Woods, the highest-ranked player from the Official World Golf Ranking, will be the top seed in the Bobby Jones bracket. Mickelson, the second-ranked player in the world, will be the top seed in the Gary Player bracket, while Stricker and Els will be the top seeds in the Snead and Hogan brackets, respectively.

Woods is the No. 1 seed for the Accenture Match Play Championship for the sixth time in his career. He won the event in 2003 and 2004 and has finished tied for ninth the past two years. Mickelson's best finish at the Accenture Match Play Championship came in 2004 when he tied for fifth.

Stricker won this event in 2001 as No. 55 in the world; and Els is looking to improve on his career-best, fourth-place finish in the Accenture Match Play Championship, which came in 2001 when he was the No. 1 seed.

Several players are hoping to make their first start in a World Golf Championships event a good one: Germany's Martin Kaymer (No. 21); USA's Brandt Snedeker (No. 48); Sweden's Peter Hanson (No. 56); Colombia's Camilo ~~~~~~~~ (No. 57); Australia's Brendan Jones (No. 61); Sweden's Daniel Chopra (No. 63); and USA's Pat Perez (No. 64).

The first World Golf Championships event of the season certainly reflects the global nature of the sport. A total of 44 players, more than two-thirds of the field, are from outside the United States and represent 16 countries. Australia leads the way with 10 players (including world No. 5 Adam Scott), followed by South Africa and England with six players each (including world No. 4 Els and No. 7 Justin Rose, respectively).

The other countries represented are: Sweden (5); Argentina (2); Canada (2); Denmark (2); Japan (2); Spain (2); Colombia (1); Fiji (1); Germany (1); Ireland (1); Scotland (1); South Korea (1); and Wales (1).

The Accenture Match Play Championship kicks off the 10-year anniversary of the World Golf Championships, at The Gallery Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz., Feb. 18-24. In the event a player withdraws from the Accenture Match Play Championship, he will be replaced by the highest available player from the alternate list. The current alternates are the next three players on the Official World Golf Rankings: Anthony Kim (No. 66); Peter Lonard (No. 67); and Simon Dyson (No. 68).

The Accenture Match Play Championship was held in Arizona for the first time in 2007. Henrik Stenson captured his first PGA TOUR win by defeating defending champion Geoff Ogilvy 2 & 1 during the 36-hole final round. Stenson collected the $1.35 million first-place prize and the Walter Hagen Cup.